Food Loss Prevention
Here, we introduce various measures for food loss.
Food Loss Prevention in Japan
What measures are being taken against food loss in Japan?
In Japan, the Law for the Promotion of Food Loss Reduction was promulgated on May 31, 2005, as Law No. 19 of 2005, and came into effect on October 1, 2019. The purpose of this law is to comprehensively promote the reduction of food loss by clarifying the responsibilities to be fulfilled by the national government, local governments, etc, about the reduction of food loss, formulating basic policies, and establishing basic matters for measures to reduce food loss. Did you know that October is "Food Loss Reduction Month" and October 30th is "Food Loss Reduction Day"?
What we can do to reduce food loss - the basics -
"We would like to contribute to reduce food loss!!” If we could review ourdaily shopping and meal preparationpractice, we can reduce food loss effectively! Let's have a look!
〇What to do when shopping
・Check the ingredients in the fridge: After shopping, you look in the fridge and find the same ingredients... You try your best to use it all up, but you end up throwing it away because you have too much leftover. Have you ever had that happen to you? To avoid such a situation, it is always a good idea to check the fridge before shopping and write down what you want to buy in a Note!
・Eat up: Don't buy in bulk just because it's cheap. It's a good idea to buy only what you need when you need it.
If we take the items with the shortest expiration date first, we may be able to reduce the food loss in the store. Also, stores offer discounts on items that are close to their expiration dates, so if you are going to use them right away, it might be a good idea to buy those items.
〇How to cook and eat
・Use old ingredients first: When you buy new things, you tend to forget about the old things, and the remaining ingredients may get damaged before you know it. Try to use up the old ingredients first. There are many creative recipes for using leftover vegetables in soups and other dishes. It's a good idea to try them out.
・Make enough to eat: Knowing how much your family can eat will help you avoid waste.
※The diagram is based on "What we can do to reduce food loss" by the Ministry of the Environment.
What we can do to reduce food loss - Advanced-
In fact, you just can't eat the unwanted, damaged, or rotten parts of vegetables, such as the skin and roots.
In the end, you end up throwing them away....
But! We have found ways to reuse them for non-edible purposes, such as "herb dyeing" and "aromatherapy",which has medical benefits.
"Herbal dyeing" allows you to dye cloth using leftover foodstuff at home, and you can enjoy using all the foodstuff, not only its "taste" but also its "color", and making new discoveries.
Also, when making "aromas", it is possible to use ingredients extracted from the peels and excess removed parts of citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons. In this way, we can expect not only the "eating effect" but also the refreshing of mind and body as an effect of a favorite fragrance! I think the unexpected relationship between medicine and food is also important from the perspective of food loss.
The unexpected relationship between medicine and foodstuffs is also important from the perspective of food loss.
By changing other items that cannot be utilized for food into items that are commonly used in daily life, the range of "foodstuffs" can be expanded further, which will lead to the reduction of food loss.
If you want to learn how to make your dyeing and aromatherapy products, please refer to the respective pages.
Finally
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In this way, if each of us changes our awareness, it will greatly contribute to reducing food loss. First of all, let's pay attention to how we do our daily shopping and cooking, and contribute to reducing food loss in our daily lives!
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References
Ministry of the Environment PDF
https://www.env.go.jp/recycle/food/shiryou.pdf
Consumer Affairs Agency website
https://www.caa.go.jp/policies/policy/consumer_policy
/information/food_loss/
Japan Government Relations
https://www.gov-online.go.jp/useful/article/201303/4.html
